Letter: The truth about feral cats

Editor: Yes we have a feral cat problem in St. John's County, but the problem is directly proportionate to the lack of support and cooperation from local government.

After years of desperate need, the citizens organized their own low-cost spay/neuter program.

In two "Spay Days" over the past three weeks, this community took advantage of low-cost spay/neuter to sterilize 65 cats. Where was that front-page story?

Regarding the decimation of wildlife, studies have proven that the primary cause is loss of habitat due to development and the overuse of pesticides. As to the rabies threat, a sterilized, vaccinated colony of feral cats is no rabies threat.

Trap-Neuter-Return, (TNR), has been proven the most humane and effective way to control feral cat populations.

Studivant contends that "these colonies keep multiplying, so something's not going right." The unmanaged colonies are multiplying. The managed colonies are maintaining decreasing populations of healthy cats. Of the 12 listed, I personally know that one no longer exists, two are managed, zero-growth colonies with only six or eight cats and two others are in the process of becoming managed colonies.

TNR is cost-effective. The average cost of sterilization is $50, the average cost of euthanasia is $105.

Since taxpayers are footing the bill, we should be able to choose between the less expensive method of humanely reducing the feral cat population or continuing with the current, more expensive, policy of repeated mass killing.

It is enough that we have to fight against human irresponsibility. To also have to fight the irresponsible actions of government agencies and the local press is a burden we can no longer accept or tolerate.